The present invention relates to game feeders, and in particular, to game feeders having an improved feed dispensing mechanism.
Game feeders are used primarily to attract wild animals into certain areas and to supplement wild animals"" diets. Game feeders are used to feed a variety of species ranging from large animals, such as deer, to fur bearing animals and even fish. During times when natural food sources are scarce, such as during a severe winter or a population boom, it is difficult for a herd of deer, or other animals, to find adequate food, and game feeders are used to supplement their natural diet. Game feeders are also used for recreational purposes to increase the likelihood of spotting a certain species in a certain area.
Major disadvantages of current game feeders are their high visibility, difficulty to set up, difficulty to fill, and uncontrolled feed dispersion pattern. These problems result from the feed dispersion mechanism, which must be kept out of wild animals"" reach in order to prevent the animals from having unfettered access to the feed stored in the game feeder.
Wild animals are very sensitive to new and strange items appearing in their habitat, and, although a game feeder contains and disperses feed for the wild animals, its presence can disturb animals"" natural habits and even frighten them away. Current game feeders are difficult to camouflage because their design requires a large structure that does not fit in well with animals"" natural habitat. Available game feeders have a feed storage area that narrows at the bottom, usually into an inverted cone shape. The bottom portion of the feed storage area is positioned a slight distance away from the feed dispensing mechanism. Feed dispensing mechanisms typically have a motor and power source connected to a paddle, which is usually a flat disc that is roughly parallel to the ground and has raised paddles thereon, and a control element such as a timer or simple computer. Such feed mechanisms are well known in the art, and disperse small amounts of feed intermittently. Feed in the feed storage area is prevented from draining out by the close proximity of the feed dispensing mechanism to the opening at the bottom of the feed storage area
When the feed dispensing mechanism is operated, the motor spins a disc with fins thereon to disperse feed randomly in a circular area. While the feed dispensing mechanism is operating, feed flows from the feed storage area to replace the feed that was resting on the disc, thus providing a constant supply of feed to be dispersed. When the feed dispensing mechanism stops, the feed resting on the disc prevents further feed from flowing out of the feed storage area. Such feed dispensing mechanisms need to be kept out of wild animals"" reach because an animal could eat all of the feed in the feed storage area simply by eating the feed from the disc. One solution to prevent wild animals from having access to the feed on the disc was to place a wire cage around the feed dispensing mechanism, however some animals such raccoons and squirrels can reach through the cage to the feed, thus depriving other animals such as deer of the feed.
Another solution to prevent access to the feed on the disc is to keep the entire game feeder out of reach of wild animals. This requires either hanging the feeder in a tree, or supporting the game feeder on long poles above the ground. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,777. Hanging feeders in trees typically results in poor feed dispersion because of the proximity to the tree and the uncontrollable, circular feed dispersion that results in feed becoming caught in the tree or piled at the base of the tree. The major disadvantage of supporting the game feeder on poles is that the game feeder must be kept seven to twelve feet above the ground, resulting in a large structure that is difficult to camouflage. Additionally, game feeders on long poles are difficult to set up, especially in remote areas and/or on uneven terrain, and are difficult to fill with feed because of their height above the ground.
There is a need for reducing the visibility of a game feeder. There is also a need to provide a game feeder that delivers feed in a controlled direction. There is an additional need to provide a game feeder that is easy to set up and easy to refill.
The above needs, and others, are addressed by the present invention, which provides a game feeder with an improved feed dispersion mechanism. A paddle, for example a disc with raised fins thereon, is aligned to be substantially perpendicular to the ground when the game feeder is set up. The improved feed dispersion mechanism is also configured to prevent access to the feed without requiring the use of a cage and without requiring suspension of the game feeder at a great height above the ground.
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention relates to an improved feed dispensing mechanism. The improved feed dispensing mechanism comprises a housing and a paddle contained within the housing. A feed connector connected to the housing is configured to deliver feed to the paddle, and an agitator connected to the paddle is configured to prevent feed from flowing through the feed connector when the paddle is not moving and to enable feed to flow through the feed connector to the paddle when the paddle is moving.
Accordingly, another aspect of the invention relates to a game feeder. The game feeder comprises a feed source with a feed conduit connected to the feed source. A feed dispensing mechanism is connected to the feed conduit and comprises a housing and a paddle contained within the housing. The housing also comprises a feed connector that connects to the feed conduit. The feed conduit is configured to deliver feed to the paddle through the feed connector, and an agitator connected to the paddle is configured to prevent feed from flowing through the feed conduit when the paddle is not moving and to enable feed to flow through the feed conduit to the paddle when the paddle is moving.